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EarthRoamer: when nature calls

Only one camper has conquered the legendary Rubicon Trail, so no prizes for guessing it’s based on a Jeep chassis. The $110,000 EarthRoamer XV-JP is built on the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4WD Unlimited platform, complete with electric front and rear locking differentials and electric sway bar disconnect.

The XV-JP only has room for two inside, but there are compensations. As the Colorado company’s blurb says, “Keep your gear in your XV-JP, keep the fridge stocked and the water tank full, and you’re ready to cut out of work early on Friday and head for your adventure.”

Now that sounds like our kinda vehicle. The electric ‘Loftop’ roof rises to give around nine feet of headroom inside, and there’s a queen-sized bed for when the two of you have had enough of exploring the bush. Offroad nuts will approve of the twin Dana 44 diffs and super-low 4:1 crawl ratio, and there’s no shortage of pulling power thanks to the Warn 9000 heavy-duty winch.

Batteries are charged by a rooftop 80-watt solar panel when you’re parked up, and by a 160-amp engine alternator when you’re driving. And if things get a little chilly above the snowline, there’s a 6100 btu “ultra efficient forced-air furnace” that sips fuel from the main fuel tank.

There are inside and outside hot water showers, and there’s even an inside toilet for when nature calls in a different way. You can get filtered drinking water from the onboard 25-gallon fresh water supply, but we think we’ll just open that fridge. When you’re staring at what’s left of the ever-retreating snowline, there’s nothing like an ice-cold beer.

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Like the idea of camping, but would rather tow a trailer? Check out the Track Tvan.